Daughter of a Riddle
by CantLiveWithUCantLiveWithoutU
Summary: Voldemort has a daughter, but Dumbledore cannot bear to see the child grow up in the hate filled world that Riddle lives in. So he arranges to take the child, and for her to live with the Weaslys. Things become complicated as Jamie learns her past.
1. Orphaned

The shadows lingered in the streets, haunting the hour before dawn. A hunched figure wearing a black hooded cloak strode quickly through the darkness a bundle clutched tightly in his arms. The figure looked up at the passing apartments, looking for a number on one of the rusting mailboxes. He found the number he was looking for and strode up to the door of the apartment; paint was peeling away from the frame, and bricks lining the walk were crumbling. He knocked quickly at the door, looking behind himself to check the street for people. His shoulders relaxed a bit as he saw the walk was deserted. An older man answered the door, peering at the hunched figure, and the package he carried over his half-moon spectacles. He moved swiftly aside after considering the man for a moment, admitting him into the entrance of the apartment.

The stranger threw back his hood, letting his back hair spill out from the cloak. The older man locked the door and turned to face him, nodding.

"Severus."

The stranger turned to the man, a look of slight annoyance apparent on his gaunt face.

"Albus."

Albus's face turned to look down at the package in Severus's arm.

"So you managed it then?" He whispered quietly, peering like a curious child at the mysterious item. He extended a finger inches before the blanket, a small hand reached out and grasped the finger.

Severus stiffened.

"Not without some difficulty. He has barely let her out of his sight since.." His voiced died off and his eyes clouded with the pain of a difficult memory.

Severus shifted the child uncomfortably in his arms, letting the blanket around her face fall away. Ringlets curled around the child's face, the color was unusual; it was a dark almost burgundy color, almost the same as blood. Her dark blue eyes gazed up at the man holding her, wide and staring. Severus looked at everything in the hall, trying to avoid the small child's gaze. Giving in, he glanced quickly at her and shuddered, extending out the child to Albus.

Albus took the child, smiling down at it, and making small cooing noises.

He spoke to Severus, not taking his eyes off the child.

"What's wrong Severus? Not a fan of children?"

"Just one."

Albus looked up at him, a frown on his brow.

"We should not judge her based on her parents. You of all people should know that."

Severus looked away from Albus and the child, shame clouded his features.

"He is a cruel man Albus… and his blood runs through her… you can see it in her eyes."

"But that does no mean she will be cruel like him! Severus, you have given her the greatest gift someone could give her at this point in her life. You have given her the chance to make her own path in this world, to be judged based on her actions. Not her father's."

Severus nodded stiffley, staring past Albus with a expression that closely resembled boredum.

"What are you going to do with her now?"

Albus smiled, and took a lock of hair into his fingers.

"I cannot tell you directly Severus, you know that. But I can say she will fit in nicely with her new family, with her red hair and all."

Severus raised his eyebrows, and his voice.

"The Weasly's! You cannot mean them! They already have a dozen children, and can barely afford those to begin with! No, I wont be part of this if all you want to give her a life of poverty! I'm already risking my life here!"

Albus played with the child's hair, and kept his eyes on her pale white skin while he talked in a calm voice.

"The Weasly's at the best option for the job, no one will question the girl, as she has red hair, and was born the same year as the twins Fred and George. They have agreed to say she was their triplet, and miraculous one considering the other two were identical, and needed to be hospitalized because of complications at birth, which will explain why no one has seen her in six months. I will be paying the Weasly's a monthly due for taking the child, the sum of which should cover any cost she produces for them. They are loving, and kind, exactly the kind of environment she needs to grow up in."

Severus glared at Albus, crossing his arms over his chest.

Albus looked at him, his eyes twinkling.

"That is, unless you would rather raise the child."

Severus snorted at this and turned away. Albus bowed his head. "That's what I thought."

"What about her name? Everyone shall not think it is a coincidence that two young girls are both with red hair and blue eyes share the same first and middle name, as this young girl."

Albus looked sadly down at the little girl.

"No, she sadly she will no longer be called Anna. Any faithful death eater would recognize the name immediately. No.. Arthur and Molly have chosen a name for their new daughter. Jamie."

Severus nodded, lifting his hood back onto his mass of dark hair.

"It seems our business is done here. If you don't mind, I would like to get going before word gets out about Anna's disappearance."

Albus nodded, and Severus stepped towards the door.

"Severus." Albus called, as his companion stepped out into the night.

The hooded man turned back, looking at the old man in the lighted door way.

"Thank you."

Severus gave him a stiff nod, and disappeared down the street, and blending in once again with the shadows.


	2. 13 Years Later

Jamie was woken from her dream by a loud bang issuing from overhead. It was Fred and George testing yet another one of their new experiments, or the ghoul had stubbed his toe on the bed again. She sighed, and slammed her pillow down over her face, trying to hold on to the last dregs of sleep. Moments later, she peaked out of the side of her pillow to see her younger sister staring at her.

Ginny's mouth was pulled tight, and her eyes were full of tears.

Jamie sighed.

"Ginny, please don't start crying right now, its too early for that!"

"I don't want you to go." She said, the tears now forming little pools at the bottoms of her eyes.

Jamie looked at her younger sister, her mouth turned downwards.

"Neither do I, I promise to write EVERY day!" Jamie said trying to calm down Ginny before the waterworks began.

Jamie knew she would not write every day, but at least once a week; she mentally promised herself, and her sister. Ginny had been even worst last year when she left for her first year at school. She bawled all the way to the train, and wouldn't let go of Jamie's hem; she managed to catch the train, but only just.

Ginny looked at her with eyes as large as saucers.

"Promise?"

Jamie looked at her and smiled, her smile seemed to be the most genuine thing in the world, and even her parents could be fooled by it.

"Promise."

With that Ginny flipped out of bed, and began to scurry around the small room getting dressed and ready for breakfast.

Jamie sighed, laying back on the bed and closing her eyes.

She knew she should feel guilty for deceiving her sister, but honestly.. she felt nothing. It had bee this way for as long as she could remember, and as much as she enjoyed using it to her full advantage, the lack of guilt scared her. She knew it wasn't normal to feel nothing when lying, or doing something her parents deemed unacceptable… but she didn't.

"Mom's going to yell at you if you don't hurry up!" Ginny called in a sing-song voice as she twittered through the room, dressing herself and the tattered doll she carried with the almost everywhere.

Shaking this thought from her head, Jamie shoved herself into muggle clothes and hauled herself down stairs, dragging her stuffed trunk behind her.

After a frantic breakfast that involved mom shoving toast into random family members mouths, and throw fruit haphazardly across the hall at Fred and George as they bugged Ron about the 'obvious' qualities he had that made him perfect for Slytherin. Her younger brother was white, and looked torn between passing out or puking all over the front steps.

Jamie squirmed uncomfortably as she tried to ignore Fred and George, she didn't want to deal with any of this right now…

She stepped out into the chilly morning air, grabbing a piece of fruit that whizzed by her head and taking a bite of it. Her father stood behind their car, his face red as he tried to force yet another trunk into the small space. Jamie stepped up to help him, and received a smile of gratitude.

"Thank you my dear." He said, pulling back as the trunk groaned into the space and wiping his brow. He let out a sigh, leaning back against the bumper and looking at the house. They could hear the sounds of the chaos it held just within its doors, the silent morning they stood in was a stark contrast.

"So, are you excited to go back to school?" He asked, looking down at her.

Jamie shrugged, digging her toe into the dirt.

"Not really…" She mumbled.

Her father chuckled, making Jamie look up at him.

"I was just like you at your age… don't worry, it gets better."

Jamie snorted, and opened her mouth to retort, but the chaos of the house was now making its way up the pathway, effectively ending their conversation.

After another round of checks by their mother, and an outburst of fitful tears by Ginny being teased by Fred and George, they had all piled into the blue car, and slowly pulled away from their home and into the muggle world.


	3. The family we choose

Jamie sat among the sea of students with their heads turned towards the incoming first years. She spotted Ron in the crowd, looking up with awe at the ceiling, as she had done not so long ago…

_She could still remember the turning feeling in the pit of her stomach as she entered the hall, excited to finally be at Hogwarts… but afraid of the sorting that stood between her, and Gryffindor house._

_She remembered Fred grabbing hold of her hand reassuringly, and giving her a small smile of encouragement just before he walked up to the sorting hat; he looked so confident, she wished she could feel the same as he did—knowing you had no reason not to be sorted into the house you wanted… but she did. There were many things her family didn't know about her… secrets she had kept for a reason._

"_Jamie Weasly." Professor McGonagall called out to the dwindling group of first years. Jamie took a deep breath, stepping forward._

_The hat was lowered slowly over her head, blocking out the murmurs of the students, and the lights of the twinkling candles. The last two people she had seen were Fred and George beaming up at her from Gryffindor table._

"_Your mind holds many things my dear… things that you have not even yet begun to understand. I see a great struggle within you: Brave soul, yet self-preserving… cunning… loyalty…hmm and yes, a talent shared with Salazar."_

"_Please… Gryffindor… Gryffindor…" Jamie thought._

"_Gryffindor you say? Ah, I see the Weasly influence… though your past suggests Slytherin may be the house for you."_

_Jamie felt her stomach sink… Slytherin? How could she ever live with herself if she was a Slytherin…?_

"_No? Not Slytherin then? Then I guess it better be…_

_GRYFFINDOR!_

_The crowded Gryffindor table burst into applause that she could hear from under the hat, and she was about to lift it up when it spoke once again._

"_Remember this Jamie: We cannot choose our blood, but friends—those are the family we choose."_

_The sorting hat was lifted from her head by Professor McGonagall who gave her a quick smile before ushering her from the seat, Jamie ran over to where Fred and George had saved her a seat, smiling as they chatted away; but the message the sorting hat had given her still lingered in her mind… _

_The family we choose._

"Harry Potter" McGonagall called, snapping Jamie from her memories. A hush went about the crowd as they gazed upon the boy-who-lived. Jamie was surprised to see him, having been so young at the time of You-Know-Who and Harry's encounter, and having been recounted the tale so many times, in so many ways she had begun to think it was a myth. After hearing all of the horrible things you-know-who had done, she kind of hoped it was.

The hat took a while to sort the boy, and students around her began to fidget as they nervously waited for the hat to speak.

GRYIFFINDOR! It shouted finally. The table around her erupted, Fred and George jumped to their feet shouting, "We've got Potter! We've got Potter!" Much to Jamie's amusement. and slight embarrassment.

The small boy sat nearly across the table from her, grinning from ear to ear as he faced the front again. Fred and George wasted no time shaking his hand, and introducing themselves, but Jamie was more reserved, preferring to watch as the poor boy was swarmed by people clambering to see him, or shake his hand. She felt sorry for him… it was a horrible way to become famous. Losing your parents before you even knew them…

GRYFFINDOR! The hat shouted again, drawing Jamie's gaze once more to the front. She saw a head with red hair emerge from beneath the hat, and let out a breath of relief, Ron had been sorted into Gryffindor to.


	4. Cutting to the Punishment

A month had past since her youngest brother had been sorted into Gryffindor, along with the infamous Harry Potter, whom Ron seemed to be forming a rapid friendship with. Jamie smiled as the scurried past her to their next class, talking in excited voices at the prospect of visiting Hagrid the Games keeper later on in the afternoon. Jamie turned back to talk amongst her close friends Alex and Sam as they headed to Professor Flitwick's classroom.

The day passed quickly for Jamie as she enjoyed her more favored subjects in the morning: Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Transfiguration.

Lunchtime seemed to pass in a haze that came with the high of perfecting a spell in Charms, and transforming her quill into a mouse before anyone else, it wasn't until her plate was empty that she felt the dark cloud that was potions class creep into her mind. She didn't have the class until last period, but that didn't prevent Jamie's mood from slipping as she neared the class time, nearly chopping off the head of her leaping toadstool, which hopped out of the gazebo, making Jamie curse under her breath as she ran after it.

It took Jamie quite a while to catch the Toadstool, quite a bit longer than she thought, realizing when she returned to the gazebo and looked around, that the students around her were actually fourth years. Jamie felt a ping on panic run through her as she realized that she was late for potions class. She raced down the hall, stuffing her books into her bag haphazardly as she dashed towards the dungeons. She came to Snape's door, pausing outside it while she stopped to catch her breath. She reached up to knock, but the door was pulled open to reveal Snape's pointed face with an ugly scowl upon it, not to mention the rest of the classroom staring at her, a few Slytherins with looks of glee on their faces.

"Miss Weasly." Snape drawled slowly, obviously enjoying her humiliation.

Jamie refused to let her cheeks redden as she looked up at him with a hard stare.

"I assume you can read a clock.. Tell me, what time do you see there?" He asked, sweeping an arm up to point at a clock at the opposite wall.

"2:15" She muttered between clenched teeth.

"What was that?" He asked, maliciousness dancing in his greedy eyes.

"2:15" She said more loudly.

"Now, no need to yell Miss Weasly." He said coolly.

She heard some of the Slytherins break into fits of laughter behind her, but Snape pretended he heard nothing.

"Now, that's 15 minutes late for my class, I believe 1 point per minute is fair, don't you Miss Weasly? Oh, and another 10 for yelling." He kept his eyes on her as he spoke. Jamie tried not to glare at him, but failed as she felt her dislike of the teacher rise. She saw a look pass his eyes, was it fear? But it was gone after a moment, replaced by annoyance as he looked at her expression.

"Take your seat." He said through tight lips as he swept towards the front of the classroom once again. Jamie let out a sigh of relief as he turned away from her, knowing that he wasn't going to take any more points away from her house. She slid into a seat next to Fred, receiving several glares from fellow Gryffindors, and matching grins and high-fives from Fred and George when Snape's back was turned. Jamie couldn't help but feel the familiar lump drop into her stomach as she stared at the potions board. Although she was decent at making potions, much better than most of the other students in her year, Snape seemed to pick on her continuously. She didn't know what she had done to offend him so, but he never missed an opportunity to take points away from her house for a missed stir, or give her detentions which often consisted of scrubbing out putrid cauldrons when her assignment was missing fifty words off the length he wanted. She saw several shoulders relax when she came into the room, knowing they were safe for another day of being Snape's target, and it made Jamie's potions classes almost unbearable. There had been more than one time where he had brought tears to her eyes with his vicious comments, but she had promised to herself the first day that he gave he detention for putting in one too many beetle eyes in her dancing soup that he would never make her cry in one of his classes and so far, she had kept that promise. So far….

"Miss Weasly, could you tell us the proper method of separating a Erumpent Horn?"

Jamie looked startled at the question, not having opened her books yet. She scrambled for her potions book, searching through the pages.

"Detention Miss Weasly, for not coming to class prepared." Snape said, eliciting another round of giggles from the Slytherins. Jamie slumped against the back of her chair, her page open to 'Erumpent Horns' wondering how this day could get worse.


	5. Uneasy Feelings

Jamie returned to Gryffindor common room late that night, her shoulders slumping in exhaustion. Snape had made her scrub every inch of every desk in his classroom, often stopping her to make her redo a desk, or tell her to scrub harder. Her arms ached, her back ached, and everything ached. She climbed the stairs to her dorm miserably, falling into bed without changing, and passing into a deep sleep.

_She was standing in a small, dark room. A sense of dread overcoming her as she looked around at the familiar setting, her arms ached even though she was positive she was dreaming. A snake crawled forward, as it always did… wrapping itself around Jamie's legs as she shivered in a fear and disgust at the slimy feeling of the snake around her legs. _

"_Anna." A high, cold voice said from a high backed chair that had appeared on the other side of the room. There was a fire blazing in front of the chair, throwing eerie shadows onto the wall and outlining it in an orange glow. The snake twirling around her ankles slithered off towards the voice, disappearing in front of it._

_Jamie looked for someone else in the darkness, but she was alone with the speaker._

"_Come." The speaker said authoritatively._

_Jamie stayed where she was._

"_My name isn't Anna." She said after a moment of silence. The person let out a high, cruel laugh, and the snake hissed quietly._

"_Come here." He said. She felt her feet begin to drag her forward, and she tried to stop them, but they just picked up pace. Jamie struggled against them until the last possible moment, where she came to kneel in front of the speaker. She kept her head bowed down, not wanting to look at the speaker. A pale hand drew her chin up to his gaze._

Jamie woke up screaming, but quickly muffled the sounds of terror that ripped from her throat with a pillow. She sobbed into the pillow, feeling the accompanying cold sweat that the nightmares always brought. Jamie ran a hand through her damp hair, getting out of her still made bed, and heading out to the common room, looking to get as far away from the sight of her nightmare as possible.

It was always the same dream, the same fearsome man and snake calling her Anna, and the last thing she saw in the dream was always the bloody eyes of the man, staring at her as if he could see directly into her soul. The thought made her shiver, bringing on a chill from her still wet clothes. Jamie wished she had changed, but refused to go back into the room, deciding instead to kick up the embers of the dying fire inside the large fireplace. She sat down in a chair across from the small flames, watching them dance in the grate, creating long shadows on the wall…

She was woken up by George sitting down next to her; she blinked away the sleep in her eyes, squinting at the bright early morning rays of sun shining through the tower window.

"How was detention sis?" He asked.

"Manage to sneak any slugs into Snape's desk?" Fred said, plopping down into an armchair. Jamie raised her eyebrow at him.

"You really think that would be a good idea for me to put a slug in his desk? I mean, could you imagine what he would do to me then?"

Fred pause, contemplating what she said for a moment, then shrugged.

"It couldn't hurt."

Jamie rolled her eyes at him, looking around for something to throw at him.

George laughed at her and ruffled her hair affectionately.

"Don't worry, we will take care of it." He said, Jamie smiled at her brothers, welcoming the distraction from her nightmare.

Jamie let out a giant yawn as she sat down in Professor Quirrell's classroom. It was nearly the end of the day, and thankfully she had been able to make it through the day, albeit in a sleepy haze. She tried to hide another yawn as Professor Quirrell past her; he looked down at her with a twitchy smile.

"N-n-n-not s-sleep we-well Miss Weasly?" He asked kindly. Jamie frowned, never having been asked that question by a teacher before. He seemed to quiver in anticipation of her answer, his eye twitching.

"no.. I guess not." She said stiffly, hearing Fred and George snort behind her at the almost awestruck look on her Professors face. He let out another big smile, nodding quickly as he shuffled to the front of the room. She shot a glare at her brothers, who were mimicking Quirrell's expression. This was not the first time Quirrell had acted oddly around her. While Snape missed no opportunity to take away points from her house, Quirrell praised her, and gave her points for even the smallest things. She had tried to talk to Fred and George about it, saying something didn't feel right, but they didn't listen to her concerns instead, opting to give her their best reenactment of Quirrell's awestruck face. Jamie looked up, seeing Quirrell staring at her, he quickly looked away. Jamie felt an uneasy feeling stir in her stomach, the way he looked at her…. Something didn't feel right.


	6. Only the Beginning

It was nearing the end of the school year, and Jamie had managed to avoid any severe damage to Gryffindor's house points, mainly by keeping her head down and out of Snape's way.

It was a rather sunny, May afternoon; Jamie hurried along the corridors of the Castle, heading for Professor Quirrell's classroom. He had asked her earlier that month if she would meet him for afternoon tea one Saturday, and she grudgingly accepted, much to the humor of her triplet brothers…

To make matters worse, her nightmare had began to increase in appearance as the year past… this week alone she had two consecutive nights where the man was in her dreams, Jamie brushed it off as stress because of the approaching exams…

She knocked on his study door, hearing a small squeak within, and the sound of Quirrell speaking in a hushed tone. He appeared at the door a moment later, adjusting his turban. He wore a kind smile, but it looked plastered on his face, like he was hiding something.

"Ah! Jamie! I wa-wa wasn't e-expecting you quite yet… c-c-come in!"

She raised her eyebrows at his rather flushed appearance; his turban was askew, and he had an almost wild, frantic look in his eye. She brushed it off as the regular oddball stuff that Quirrell was well known for, stepping into his study. It was dark, as the shades were drawn shut, and well stocked with books; it looked rather ordinary to Jamie. She heard the sound of a tea pot being shakily raised, and turned around to see Professor Quirrell pouring a steaming liquid into two cups on his desk, she was surprised that he did not scald himself, the way the pot wobbled in his hand. He put it down on the table, smiling up at her and motioning to the chair opposite his own. She sat down, taking the warm liquid into her hands.

They sat in silence for a moment, Quirrell sipped at his tea while Jamie starred into hers, blowing at the steam that curled over the top.

"S-s-so Miss W-Weasly, I'm sure you are wondering why I h-have asked y-you to c-come here today."

Jamie set her glass into her lap, looking up at Quirrell. He seemed to have a strange gleam in his usually twitchy eyes… it made her uncomfortable.

"I w-wanted t-t-to ask you a-about y-your c-career c-choices."

She raised her eyebrows at him, setting her cup down on the desk infront of her with a frown.

"I um… isn't that a question more suited for.. I donno… a fifth year?"

His eyes widened, and he took a nervous sip from his tea.

"W-w-well J-Jamie… its n-never t-to early to st-start p-planning y-your future."

Jamie leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms across her chest as she thought about his question.

"Well… if I had to choose right now, I guess it would be and Auror."

Quirrell, who was in the process of taking a sip of his tea, sputtered, choking on the liquid,

"Professor, are you alright?" Jamie asked as he took in a gasp of air.

He took out a handkerchief, dabbing at his mouth.

"Y-yes Jamie… it j-just s-surprised me to-to hear y-your c-choice…"

She frowned at him.

"Oh?"

She knew she was being rude, but he had no right to judge her decision.

"Y-you j-just are s-so t-t-talented at the d-dark a-arts, have you e-ever th-thought of purs-suing a f-field in t-them?"

She shook her head.

"No.. I don't suppose I have…" She muttered, trying to end the conversation, but Quirrell was having none of that.

"Oh y-yes! You w-would make a fine w-witch in th-the st-study of da-dark arts. I can s-see a real future in it for y-you Anna."

Jamie froze in her chair.

"What… what did you call me?" She said quietly.

A horrified expression spread slowly across Quirrell's face as he realized what he had said.

She got up from her chair so quickly it made a loud scraping noise on the floor.

"Jamie! Please wait!" Quirrell said from behind her as she walked as quickly as she could to the door.

"Jamie!" He said, grabbing her arm.

She snapped it out of his hand.

"Stay away from me!" She hissed, opening his office door without a backward glance.

"Jamie! Jamie!" She sped up when she saw the corridor was empty, turning the corner, she ran headfirst into something black and hard.

It made a muffled noise of discomfort, and Jamie looked up to see Snape staring at her over his crooked nose. He examined her with glittering black eyes for a moment, before Quirrell skidded around the corner. She saw a strange look pass over Snape's face as he took in her, and then Quirrell.

"Run along Miss Weasly." He said sharply. Jamie walked as fast as she could down the empty corridor, leaving behind the teacher she hated, and the teacher she now feared. The name still sat at the forefront of her mind, leaving her skin with Goosebumps. She stopped for a moment, realizing how stupid she had been… Quirrell knew who was in the dream obviously, the question was why… and what was the meaning behind them? She cursed to herself silently, remembering that Snape was now talking with him, and this was definitely not a conversation she wanted to have in front of him… but was it a conversation she wanted to have with Quirrell either? Her head throbbed from lack of sleep and Quirrell's slip… and Jamie had a feeling this was only the beginning.


	7. Miserable Afternoon

Jamie tried to intercept Quirrell over the next few weeks, but every time she got close enough to talk to him privately, he seemed to slip through her fingers…

The nightmares continued, and the man in her dreams began to whisper to her that they would be together soon… it made Jamie's skin crawl, and a general feeling of nausea plagued her. The more the dreams persisted, the more desperate Jamie became to get answers. She had even tried to sneak out of the common room one night, only to be intercepted by Snape... needless to say, that encounter did not end well.

Jamie, along with Harry, Ron and Hermonie had managed to secure a fourth place finish for Gryffindor in the house points that year… the thought only added to the stress and depression that was now settling on Jamie.

With the last week of school here, and almost none of her friends speaking to her after she had been caught, Jamie sat with Sam underneath a tall Oak, they were suppose to be studying, but the sunshine and bright day had lured them out of the dusty halls of the castle and into the fresh air and warm day. Jamie closed her eyes, dozing against the tree, while Sam flipped through a copy of the Daily Prophet.

The sound of the rustling leaves overhead, and the quiet hush of the lake lapping at the shores…Jamie could feel herself being lulled into almost a trans-like state… falling deeper, and deeper…

_She was in the room again, although it was day time outside of her dream world, the only light coming from the room was still the fire place, although the figure was not sitting behind his chair this time, but standing… his red eyes pierced the darkness as he gazed at her, causing her hair to stand on end, and a shudder to run through her body._

"_Why can't you just leave me alone!" She said softly, wrapping her arms around her body. She saw anger flash across his eyes, only to be replaced by a look of amusement. He let out a soft chuckle, moving across the floor in long, graceful strides. Jamie looked down at the floor, not wanting to meet his gaze, but a pale finger drew her chin up to look him in the eyes._

"_When I see you, I shall explain everything." He said, a pale, cold smile on his lips…_

Jamie woke up with a gasp, sitting up away from the tree while taking huge, panting breaths. She closed her eyes, taking a moment to steady herself, and force down the bile that was rising in her throat.

"Uh… Jamie. Are you ok?" Sam asked. Jamie felt her stomach drop a little, having forgotten her friend was there… it was the first time she had ever had a nightmare she couldn't hide. She took a deep breath, opening her eyes.

"Yeah… I just forgot to study the section on Unicorn Horn uses for potions.. Since the test is tomorrow, I think I should go get started on that."

Sam frowned slightly, and Jamie was sure she didn't buy it.. but she nodded after a moment, probably chalking up her behavior to the regular 'Weasly insanity' that she had become accustomed to, being around her twin brothers for most classes and all. Jamie gave Sam a wave as she headed off to the castle, feeling guilty for lying to her, but knowing that if she was going to confront Quirrell, now was the time.

She looked in the staff room, the Great Hall, his study, and was now, banging on his classroom door. It seemed that no one had seen Quirrell for the past two hours she had been searching for him.

"Professor Quirrell!" She said loudly, thumping on the door.

"Professor Quirrell!"

"Miss… Weasly." The drawling tone made Jamie's stomach drop as she turned around to see Professor Snape looking very smug.

"Now what is it exactly that you need that is so important that the entire castle hear your banging?"

Jamie looked over Snape's shoulder, feeling that if she looked him in the eye, her mission would be written plainly on her face.

"Miss Weasly." He said, a tone of authority in his voice.

Jamie choked down her desperation and the fear of her nightmares, looking Snape dead in the eye.

"I needed to discuss something with Professor Quirrell we talked about in our last lesson.. it was important that I catch him before my exam." The lie rolled off her tongue as though it had been spoken by someone else…

Snape looked at her with a hard expression on his face, his beady eyes burring into her own.

"Very well then Miss Weasly, run along." He said, still seeming to calculate her as she took off at a fast walk through down the corridor, determined to get as far away from Snape as possible.

Jamie continued the search for Quirrell, albeit quietly, but he seemed to have vanished from the castle. Jamie sat down at the Gryffindor table, anxious, exhausted, and frustrated. She stared at her plate of food, her stomach turning in knots as her friends chatted happily about different types of owls. Jamie pushed her chair away from the table, giving a weak attempt at an excuse to her friends as she left the table. She wandered around the halls, half attempting to look for Quirrell and half, to tire herself out enough to fall into a deep sleep. She returned to the common room just before curfew, her feet aching, her head spinning, and her eyes heavy with sleep. Exhausted, she climbed into bed, falling instantly into a deep, and dreamless sleep.


	8. Ending in Confusion

Jamie rubbed sleep away from her eyes as she exited the girls tower, feeling the most rested she had felt in the past few weeks. She saw the backs of Fred and George's heads as she entered the common room, and sat down on the couch next to them.

"Hey guys—" Jamie stopped, noticing the identical grim expressions the twins wore.

"What's wrong?" Jamie asked, a sinking feeling.

"Ron's in the hospital wing, along with Harry…" Fred said.

"What happened?" Jamie asked, shocked.

"We aren't completely sure… mom and dad are talking to Dumbledore right now."

"Wait.. Why are mom and dad here?"

Fred and George exchanged a meaningful look. George sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"We think it has something to do with…"

"With what? " Jamie was becoming annoyed with their avoidance of the big question, seeming to skirt around it with any possible excuse.

"With… you-know-who." Fred said in a low voice.

Jamie gripped her chair, feeling her breath catch in her throat.

"they.. they are ok aren't they?"

"I don't understand… wasn't he.. wasn't he dead?"

There was a heavy silence between the three of them; it stretched out like a dark, ominous presence between them.

Molly entered the room, followed by Arthur, Dumbledore, and McGonagall. The three of them stood, and their mom came rushing over to embrace them. Jamie gazed between the three faces she could see over her mom's shoulder, trying to gage the situation. Her father seemed to look relieved, McGonagall wore a tight expression, but it was Dumbledore's that caught her off guard. He seemed to be looking for something in her face, searching deep into her eyes for something… Jamie blinked, and his expression had morphed into a smile, his eyes now kind and soft…

"Ron…"

"He's alright dear." Her mother answered.

"and Harry.."

"Still asleep. But no permanent damage has occurred." Dumbledore offered up.

Jamie nodded, feeling her whole body relax.

"What happened?" Jamie asked.

Her parents exchanged meaningful glances between themselves, and then looked to Dumbledore. He gazed at her curiously for a moment, and then spoke:

"Quirrell was conspiring to help Voldemort rise to power once again. Harry, Hermonie, and Ron bravely thwarted his plan."

Jamie felt her stomach drop and the blood drain from her face. Fred and George began furiously firing questions at Dumbledore, but he refused to answer anything more about the event. Jamie tried not to show the fear and confusion she felt, knowing now how evil Quirrell was, but still desperately wanting to know about the man in her dreams… was it connected to you-know-who? Jamie shuddered at the thought, pushing it away from her mind.

"Can we see them?" Fred asked, bringing Jamie's focus back to the present. Dumbledore gestured to the door, and the group was lead out of the dormitory.

Exams continued, Jamie tried to focus, but often felt her mind wandering back to Quirrell, and the disturbing dreams. Although they had seemed to have suddenly stopped, Jamie was still wary that they could return. Ron was released from the hospital after a couple of days, and her parents returned home, everything seemed relatively normal, except the fact that Harry was still in the hospital wing…

The final day of the school year arrived, and Jamie sat miserably among the rest of the Gryffindors underneath the Slytherin banners. They had managed to land themselves in fourth place, something that was not missed by the jeering Slytherins, and Jamie could feel the low moral surround all of Gryffindor as they avoided the feast as long as possible, lingering in corridors, or the common room, or rushing off to pack up last minute items.

Dumbledore began his speech, and Jamie glanced mindlessly up and down the head table, finding to her surprise, that Snape was staring at her. She focused her vision on him, seeing him seemingly look at her with slightly narrowed eyes, much the same expression that Dumbledore had worn when he had come into the common room less that a week ago. She had not seen Snape since her last run in with him, and from the uncertain, and almost repugnant look on his face, she felt the knot in her chest tighten, and memories of Quirrell's strange behavior towards her, and when he called her Anna came back in a rush.

"We're tied with Slytherin!" She heard Hermione say excitedly, drawing her attention back to Dumbledore.

A cheer went up as Neville Longbottom was awarded 10 points, and the Gryffindor banner went up. Applause and Cheers erupted from three of the four house tabled. Gryffindor had won! Jamie gazed back up at Snape, sending him a look of triumph.

This day belonged to her and Gryffindor, not to the Slytherins,

He raised his eyebrows at her, but his expression did not change. She saw a look pass over his eyes, was it doubt… fear? She did not know… but she did know that the look made her confused… and afraid.


	9. Flourish and Blotts

Although the dreams had disappeared completely, it did little to quell Jamie's nerves over the summer. She kept busy with her twins, helping to stir up trouble in the otherwise dull heat of the long summer days. When she wasn't causing trouble, she was doing some sort of punishment for causing trouble. Washing dishes… catching gnomes.. Bathing the ghoul in the attic, this did little to calm the rebellious and agitated spirit that Jamie had become.

Although she had often been considered the good child, this summer showed a distancing in her and her parent's relationship, mostly because of her defiant nature. She wasn't sure if it was the confusion left over from the year, or if she felt that her family would see her as some sort of 'mental case' if she told them about the disturbing dreams… either way, it was easier just not to bring them into it, Jamie had decided this on the Hogwarts Express as it billowed through the misty countryside.

It was now late August, and the family was heading to Diagon Alley to gather supplies for the next year. Harry was with them, after they rescued him from the room his Aunt and Uncle had locked him up in and needless to say, this made the other stuff they had done this year look like child's play. Their mother was beyond furious.. And Jamie actually wondered if they had gone to far.

Jamie stepped forward, taking a handful of floo powder from her glowering mother without acknowledging the anger in the woman's face. She muttered 'Diagon Alley' as she stepped into the fire grate, and was spun off towards the murky street.

When they had landed, they realized that Harry was missing, causing their mother a great deal of panic as they made their way through the street, calling out for him and peering into shop windows. It was nearly half an hour later that they found him, and Hagrid who said he had recovered him from Knockturn Alley. This peaked Jamie's interest, having never been allowed near the place, and Fred and George whined that Harry got to go there, and they didn't.

Near the end of their shopping trip, their mother dragged the group of them into Flourish and Blotts to buy their books, only to find out that Gildory Lockheart was having a book signing in there… Jamie inwardly groaned, realizing that it would probably be hours before they got out of there, since their mom was his biggest fan.

Jamie asked her father if she could look around the store, he nodded, telling her to stay where he could see her. She gave him a smile of relief, knowing full well that he was just as aware how long they would be in this book store.

She wandered towards the back, trying to ignore the group of giddy school girls speaking in high pitched tones about how 'dreamy' Lockheart was.. It was enough to make her gag. She found herself at the back of the store, alone, in the dark arts section. It seemed to be the only place in the store that was far enough away from the ogling women to hear her thoughts. Although she was not particularly interested in the dark arts, after Quirrell's discussion with her last year, she couldn't help but be curious about them. Her fingers brushed over the dusty novels as she looked for a title to catch her eye.

"Anything interest you?"

Jamie spun around as she heard the cold voice, seeing a tall man with long platinum hair and an unusual glint in his steely eyes.

He stepped closer to her, not taking his eyes off her as he reached over her shoulder, grabbing a book off the shelf.

"May I suggest this one?" He said, holding out the book for her.

She took the book, only glancing down at it for a moment before looking back at the man.

"Thank you…" She said in a quiet voice, looking up at the man. He had a small smile on his lip as he gave a small nod of his head.

"My pleasure –"

"Jamie. Jamie Weasly." She said. She saw shock, and uncertainty cross the man's face, his smile quivering a bit.

"Jamie. I apologize, I have… trouble seeing the resemblance."

Jamie narrowed her eyes at him. It was true, she had little resemblance to the Weasly's… even her hair was a darker, more auburn shade than her family. Her mother said that she looked like her aunt on the Prewett's side of the family but Jamie had never seen her.

"You do remind me of someone though…" He said mysteriously, a faraway look in his eyes. He focused back on her, giving a little shake of his head.

Jamie fidgeted, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze.

"I should get back to my parents…" Jamie murmured; placing the book her had handed her back on the shelf.

He gave her a curt smile, giving a nod of his head.

"Of course."

She kept her walk slow, trying not to show the man that she was afraid of him, and that she desperately wanted to dash out of the section and to her parents.

She found her father among the crowd, talking with Hermione's parents and her mother. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in close; she smiled, feeling warm and protected, that feeling didn't last long.

Her father's gaze came to rest on Harry, and the rest of her family, who happened to be talking to the man she had met in the dark art's section. And Draco Malfoy.

Her father made a noise of displeasure, and took his arm off of her, striding over to the crowd without another word. Jamie followed closely behind, noticing the evil glint the blonde man's eyes had taken on.

"Childern, it's mad in here.. lets go outside." Her father said with a tone of fake cheerfulness.

"Well, well, well. Weasly Sr." The man said with a sneer on his face.

"Lucius." Arthur said stiffly. Jamie felt her stomach drop. Lucius Malfoy? Her father had told them how he had been a death eater before…

"Busy time at the ministry, all those raids… I do hope they are paying you overtime. But judging by the state of this.." He held up one of Ginny's second hand books, sending a pang of anger and shame through Jamie at the same time.

"I'd say not…. What's the use in being a disgrace to wizard.. if they don't even pay you well for it."

"We have a very different idea about what disgrace is to the name of wizard Malfoy."

"Clearly." Lucius said in a disgusted tone.

"Associating with muggles…" Lucius said, his lip peeled back in a snarl as he stepped forward, dropping Ginny's book back into her cauldron.

"and I thought your family could sink no lower." He hissed at Arthur in a low voice.

His gaze rested on Jamie again, a strange look in his eye. Her father stepped in front of her, blocking Lucius' gaze.

"I'll see you at work." She heard him mutter, and then the sound of his cane tapping the floor of the shop, and the door banging shut behind him and his son came.


	10. Doorways

Jamie stared out the window into the dewy countryside that rolled by, her thoughts on the encounter with Lucius a few days previous. It was obvious to anyone that Lucius did not think highly of the Weaslys and yet he had taken the time to talk with her…

Her father had been unnerved by the encounter, and had kept a very close watch on Jamie the last few days of break. It irritated her, and was relieved when it was time to leave for Hogwarts. As her mother fussed over the fact that Harry and Ron had not yet come through, the rest of them loaded on to the already steaming train. She sat down in one of the last empty rooms with Fred, George, and Ginny letting out a sigh of relief that they had made the train. She looked out the window to wave goodbye to her parents, when she saw Lucius Malfoy staring at her, a strange glint in his pale eyes. It made her skin crawl as he gave her a little nod, his hand raised in farewell. His eyes did not leave her until they were out of the station.

A knock at the door startled Jamie out of her trance-like state, as she turned away from the window. Sam's eyes were narrowed at the would-be intruder.

"What do you want?" She nearly hissed at the person.

Jamie could see why; in the doorway stood Draco Malfoy, a sneer painted across his pointed face.

"Nothing from you Mudblood." He said smugly, turning to Jamie.

She narrowed her eyes at him, clenching her fists at the insult.

"I think you should leave Malfoy." She said, trying to keep her anger contained. Draco rolled his eyes at her, pulling out a brown parcel and throwing it at her.

"I never intended to stay." He said, making a face at Sam.

"I don't know how you can stand sitting near them." He said, with a disgusted tone. Before Jamie could get up to smack Draco, he shrugged and sauntered away down the aisle.

Jamie looked at the unmarked package, and shoved it into her bag, clenching her teeth in anger. Sam remained quiet, and Jamie didn't want to bring the comment up, so they passed over it completely, choosing to talk about general subjects instead.

The feast went, less than smoothly. Ginny being sorted into Gryffindor, was the high point, but with Ron and Harry still missing, the excitement of another Weasly being added to the Gryffindor clan was overshadowed. It was after the feast, and after Ron and Harry had filled them in on their little 'adventure', with many groans from Fred and George. Jamie was now sprawled out across Georges lap in front of the roaring common room fire as they watched Fred play a game of wizards chess with Ron. She dozed off a couple of times, feeling a wonderful warmth spreading through her body as heat radiated off the fire. As she nodded off for the fourth time, Fred jumped on to the couch beside George, rousing her out of her comfortable dream-like state. She gave a groan, standing up with a big stretch before she made her way to the girls dormitory, giving Fred a playful slap on the face for waking her as she past him. Jamie quietly made her way to her four-poster bed, trying not to rouse the already sleeping Gryffindors. She sat down on her bed, rummaging through her trunk for sleep clothes. When she found some, she loaded the rest of disorganized stuff back into the trunk, hearing a distinct 'thunk' as something heavy fell on the floor. It was the package Draco had given her that afternoon. She turned it over curiously, and tore open the plain packaging.

She muffled a gasp with her hand, it was the book Lucius Malfoy had suggested to her at the bookshop, she opened the first page, he had written a note on the inside cover:

_Enjoy—Lucius_

Jamie felt a strange turning in her stomach, was it guilt? No… probably just too much food from the feast.

She shook the thought from her head, tossing the book into her trunk and climbing into bed.

_She was in the muggle world, standing on a busy street corner in London. She recognized it from her trips into town with her father. Was it Picidilly Street? She couldn't remember the name of it. Everyone went about their business, but Jamie noticed something strange—no one would look at her. Every time she past someone, they would stare at the sidewalk as though it was the most interesting thing in the world. She moved through them, noticing these people wouldn't move an inch when she tried to pass them, almost knocking her to the ground a few times. But instead of glaring at her, like a normal human being would…. They continued to stare at the sidewalk. She began to get frustrated with the people, and sat down on a bench, glaring at the passing people. That was when she noticed him; he looked to be a couple years older than her with wavy black hair, and striking blue eyes. But it wasn't his handsome appearance that caught her attention; it was the fact that he was wearing a Hogwarts' robe, with the Slytherins house crest, and the matching tie to go with it. He was leaning in a doorway, staring at her; a thin smile on his pale face. Jamie looked at the older boy curiously, getting off her bench, and starting towards him. As she did, he pushed himself off the doorway, and started away from her. She tried to make her way through the crowd towards him, but as soon as she got close to him; more people would appear, blocking her path, and making it nearly impossible to keep sight of him. The boy darted into a doorway, and Jamie pushed through the throws of people, panting as she finally stood in front of the door. She reached for the large, brass handle, pushing the door open…_


	11. Under the Oak tree

The howler was screaming at Ron. Everyone around him looked uncomfortable, and Ron looked ready to crawl into a hole. Jamie felt a smile tug at her lips, and gave herself a shake, feeling disgusted at her reaction. As the sound of her mother's booming voice faded, Jamie pushed herself away from the table trying to control the inappropriate emotion that threatened to consume her. Jamie pushed into the women's bathroom, nearly running up to the sink and splashing cool water onto her face. She looked into the mirror, glaring at her reflection spitefully as the laughter twitched at her lips. She shook her head, leaning down over the sink as a wave of disgust overtook the happiness swelling inside her. Something was wrong with her… seriously wrong.

_She was walking down a quiet street. Couples past her, talking in quiet whispers, and businessmen strode forcefully away from her, they were all going in one direction, but Jamie felt compared to go against their flow. As she walked, a mist gathered around her ankles, becoming thicker as she continued on her way. It became so thick, that street lamps flickered on in the grey veil that blocked out the sun. She was in a park now, following a winding cobblestone path she wandered around in the dark fog the vague feeling she was looking for someone permeated her mind. That's when she saw him the boy who had plagued her dreams for the past week, sitting on a dew-covered bench. He noticed her looking at him, and stared at her for a moment before rising from the bench. Jamie braced herself, ready to chase after the boy as she had in all her other dreams, determined to catch him this time, but he turned towards her, striding with purpose in her direction. He stopped in front of her, his eyes glittering like little blue flames in the dark. He smiled at her, and stretched out his hand, obviously wanting her to take it. Jamie frowned down at the hand, contemplating it for a moment before stretching out her own and taking it. He pulled her gently deeper into the fog._

"_Who are you?" She asked him, he just smiled at her, and tugged at her hand. The fog became so thick she could not see in her feet, let alone the strange boy beside her. That was when he released her hand, causing a panic to rise in Jamie's throat, she felt as though he was the only one who could lead her out of the mist._

"_Wait! Please! Don't leave me!" She cried out in a small, strangled voice._

"_Please! Tell me who you are!" She said, hugging her body, she shut her eyes, trying to wake up from the horrible dream._

"_Tom." His breath was moist on her ear._

_Her eyes sprang open, and she spun around. There was no trace of the fog, they were now standing in a beautiful meadow, wildflowers grew all around, and warm sunshine filtered through the branches of one lone oak tree. He was looking at her with a strange gleam in his eye that Jamie couldn't place, a smile on his lips. He held out a flower to her._

"_My name is Tom… and I will never leave you."_

A month past, and then another.

Dreams now seemed to revolve around Tom, and the sun-filled meadow. Jamie felt at ease with the older boy, and began to tell him many things about herself that she hadn't even shared with those closest to her. He always listened, no matter how crazy, or troubling her thoughts seemed to be.

Jamie tossed and turned, thinking of the events that had unfolded today. She had watched at the duel as Harry spoke Parseltongue to the snake, and heard every word he said as clear as day. She had known about her ability since she was 6, but because of the stigma against it, had kept the information private. It wasn't until today that she realized exactly how disgusted and horrified people were with the ability. She wanted desperately to talk to Tom about the event, but sleep eluded her, chased away by her worrying. It wasn't until late that night that Jamie was finally able to slip into her dreams.


	12. Change of Season

_Hello everyone! Sorry about the long wait, exams, lack of inspiration… and a bunch of other stuff._

_I'd like to dedicate this chapter to ImperfectionsAbeauty, for reminding me that there are people who read my story, and are very patiently waiting for an update._

_Thanks_

_J.R._

…

"_Tom! Tom!" Jamie called out, running up the hill. The normally sunny hillside had morphed into a dim place; the leaves on the oak tree had fallen, leaving it with bare, skeletal limbs that shrieked in protest as a slight breeze blew through them. The sky was dark, and ominous clouds rolled above her. The dramatic change made Jamie's hair stand on end, and a strange shiver run down her spine._

"_Tom." She sighed with relief as she saw the boy, by the tree as he normally was. But gone was his calm demeanor. He paced in front of the oak, a frown upon his brow. He was muttering something unintelligible under his breath. _

"_Tom?" Jamie asked quietly. _

_He ignored her, continuing to pace. Jamie caught a few of the words he was saying under his breath._

"_Potter… almost had him… stupid girl… ruined plans…"_

"_Tom? How do you know Harry? What do you mean you almost had him?"_

_He continued to ignore her, and Jamie's fear grew. His face was hard, his eyes glinting like steel in the darkness. The way his face had contorted into something so… malevolent frightened Jamie._

"_Please Tom, you are frightenin—"_

"_Quiet Anna!" He snapped, turning his gaze to her only for a moment, before continuing to pace._

_Jamie felt her breath hitch, and her heart skip a beat. She staggered back a few steps, looking at Tom with a horrified expression. As she did so, she saw realization flicker across Tom's face, and he turned towards her. He extended an arm towards her, and Jamie flinched away from him. His jaw twitched, and he lowered his arm._

"_An—"_

"_Don't call me that!" She hissed, continuing to back away from him. He stepped towards her, closing the distance between them with long strides._

"_But it is your name, the name your birth parents gave you."_

_Jamie stopped backing away for a moment, shocked at his statement. Then she shook her head, starting to back away from him._

"_I don't believe you." She said firmly._

"_Think about it, the differences between you and the rest of the Weasleys. You are nothing like them. Your life is a lie Anna. Let me show you the truth."_

_He extended a hand towards her again, a solemn expression on his face. Jamie hesitated, thinking about the time she had spent with the strange boy. She had told him so much in the past few months… about her hopes, dreams, fears… yet she knew nothing about him._

"_Who are you?" she whispered, watching a strange expression… was it amusement? Flicker across his face. _

"_Stay away from me." Jamie said, backing up at first, and then taking off at a run away from him. _

_She ran far across the dewy grass, feeling the chill of the air sink into her bones, as if it was real… _

_She tripped on something in the grass, and tumbled down into the wet grass. _

"_You can't outrun me Anna."_

_His breath was hot on her ear, she snapped around, struggling away from him. _

She woke up screaming. She immediately shoved her head into her pillow, muffling the hysterical sobs that were coming from her raw throat. When she had calmed down enough, she turned over on to her back, staring at the ceiling.

She was too afraid to fall back to sleep, so she sat up, swinging the covers off of herself. She couldn't help the gasp that came from her as she looked down at her pajama bottoms: they were soaked, and pieces of grass stuck to her feet. Jamie felt a shiver run down her spine, Tom's words drifting back to her:

"You can't outrun me Anna."


	13. Misstep

The week since Jamie's revelation about Tom had been a nightmare. She found him waiting for her every time she slipped into sleep, a hard look on his face that made a cold knot form in her stomach, and her instincts kick into high gear. She always managed to wake herself up, before Tom could catch hold of her, and she fear his contact, feeling in her subconscious that if he managed to grasp her, she would be in grave danger. Her eyes had become bloodshot, and ringed with dark circles as the sleep deprivation started to take hold. If she was lucky, she managed to get an hour, maybe two of sleep a night, and she feared that she would not be able to hold out in this strung-out state much longer. She needed to talk to someone, maybe even Professor Dumbledore… but they were just dreams after all, and she did not want people to believe she was going mad, although she had wondered that herself…

Jamie dragged herself sluggishly through the halls, only half aware as bodies streamed by her at what seemed like a lightning pace. Her legs felt as though she was wading through a pool of molasses, and her head, as though someone had replaced her brain with cotton balls. She was dimly aware of one of her feet slipping out from underneath herself, and made a feeble attempt to catch herself by putting out her hands, and letting her books scatter around the floor. It seemed to happen in slow-motion, the falling, the sound as papers flew from their spots in textbooks, and the dull thud as her head made contact with the step above her. A dull pain spread from the point of contact, and Jamie was dimly aware of making a groaning noise as she rolled onto her back. Her eyes shifted in and out of focus, watching as blurry outlines of bodies passed her by, not taking notice of her form, or ignoring it as they passed by on their way to class. Two red heads came into her vision, and she saw George and Fred's faces swim in and out of focus. She heard them talking rapidly to one another bent over her, and then Fred lifted her up, carrying her frame gently as he started to walk.

"Looks like you took a nasty blow to the head Jay." He said, using her pet nickname to ease some of the situation's tenseness. She found that her brain couldn't form a cohesive set of words together, they seemed to be rattled up from both the lack of sleep, and the probable concussion she had.

"Don't worry." Fred said reassuringly. "Madame Pomfrey will set you right in a jiffy."

_Did he really just say jiffy?_

"Did you really just say jiffy?" George echoed her thoughts.

"What?" Fred replied defensively. "I like the word jiffy."

The brothers fought about the word for the rest of the journey, falling silent only once George had knocked on the hospital wing door.

A haughty Madame Pomfrey appeared.

"What is it this time- Oh!" Madame Pomfrey let out a little sound of surprise as she took in Jamie's grey complexion. She swept aside, letting the boys pass into the room. Fred laid Jamie gently on the closest bed, taking special care as her head touched the pillow. Jamie caught only fragments of the conversation that passed between her brothers and nurse, they all glanced her way occasionally, with what she assumed was worried expressions. She shut her eyes, trying to will away the fuzziness in her head, and the desire to stay awake now that she was flat on her back. She felt a weight come on to the left side of the bed, and she managed to lift her heavy lids. Fred and George were gone, it was Madame Pomfrey, holding two small cups in her hands.

"Here dear, this is for your head." She said sweetly, handing Jamie the first vial. Jamie downed the stuff, fighting her gag reflex as the sweet, thick liquid slid slowly down the back of her throat. She handed the empty glass back to her, and eyed the second one.

"A sleeping potion." The nurse answered her unasked question. Jamie felt a leap of fear in her stomach. What if Tom could get to her while she was drugged out? What if he managed to get hold of her….

Jamie shook her head, and she was able to see Madame Pomfrey's brow crease together, even through the blurriness of her vision.

"Now dear, your body needs to rest as it recovers from your head trauma, rest is the best this for you right now." She stuck the cup in Jamie's direction, but Jamie made no attempt to grab the thing.

The woman's arm jerks impatiently as she held the vial out.

"Now Miss Weasly, either you take it, or I force it down the back of your throat."

Jamie could tell the threat had some weight behind it because of the tone in the older woman's voice, and she grudgingly accepted the vial. She shot the stuff back quickly; grimacing again and handing the cup back to Madame Pomfrey. The woman gave a nod to her head, and got off the bed. Jamie watched as the blurry figure hurried around the room, attending to other patients, her lids were growing heavier. The last thing she remembered, was praying that Tom would not be able to get to her in this state, and then, the blackness of sleep claimed her.


	14. Dream Season

She was staring into pools of colour. At first sight, they appeared to be an icy blue, but the longer Jamie stared into their depths, the more she saw the ruby colour that was hidden in its depths. Black spots appeared in the center, seeming to rise up, and increase in size as they did. And that was when she realized; these were Tom's eyes.

Fear licked up her spine as a dark chuckle came from him as she managed to focus more clearly on his form. He was crouched down overtop of her, a smile laced with malice on his face.

"It seems that I owe Madame Pomfrey my thanks. This will make things go much more smoothly."

Jamie tried to struggle out from underneath him, but Tom was much stronger than her… He hauled her upwards, grasping her hands behind her back as he frog marched her forwards. The landscape around them had changed drastically. Instead of the sunny meadow that she had become accustomed to seeing him in, the grass was a dry yellow, gathered in clumps that showed the cracked earth underneath. The sky was a chilling grey, making the light dim. But the thing that struck Jamie the most, was the oak tree. It's branches had become twisted and shrewd looking, leaves did not grace its creaking branches and it seemed as though all the life had been sucked from the once strong form.

Jamie gave a small whimper, one which Tom ignored as he continued to walk them to the top of the hill. She saw a new form as they got closer to the peak. An old, neglected-looking manor was situated at the bottom of the hill. As Jamie began to realize that this was their intended destination, her struggle renewed. Tom grunted behind her, but maintained his tight grip as he continued down the hill, albeit… a bit more slowly.

"Anna…" He grunted in a frustrated tone. The name only made Jamie struggle harder. They made it to the doorway, but Jamie spread herself out over the entrance, gripping at the door frame as sounds of fear came from her throat.

"Anna, stop!" He hissed through gritted teeth.

He thrust his weight against her back, causing Jamie's arms to buckle. He caught her, and moved her inside, closing the door behind him with his foot. When the door banged shut, he let her go. Jamie scrambled to the far side of the dusty room, as far away from Tom as she could. He took his time, straightening the school uniform that he now wore before looking up to meet her fearful eyes.

"Please… I don't know what you want.." She said with a small, frightened voice.

His eyes seemed to soften a bit as he considered her shaking form, but in an instant, the cold, reserved gaze was once again in place.

"In time Anna, I will explain everything."

He turned towards the door once again.

"My name isn't Anna." Jamie said in a slightly stronger voice. His hand paused on the handle for a moment, but he didn't turn back to her. He opened the creaking door, and slammed it behind him.

She was alone.

The door wouldn't open, neither would the windows; Jamie had spent what seemed like a week scouring the entire house looking for a way out, there was none. Tom never came, nor did she wake up. It was as if the house was enchanted to keep her locked in this dream… until Tom said so. She never grew tired, nor did she need food, so her time in the house became drawn into an unbearable fog of boredom, as she drifted from one room to another.

She wondered how long she had really been asleep… had her parents started to worry? Were they trying to work out a way to wake her? Jamie hoped so…

Jamie heard the door slam from where she lay in the bedroom; she jumped, sitting up in bed with her heart racing. She padded down the stairs, seeing Tom pacing by the door. There was a gleam in his eyes that made Jamie's stomach drop. It was clear that he was happy, but Jamie had the feeling that someone had suffered for this happiness. He paused, seeing her on the stairs, and came over to her, cupping his hands around her face.

"Tonight is the night my child." He said, brushing her cheek with his cold thumb.

Jamie pulled away from his touch, retreating up a couple of stairs.

He frowned, dropping his hands, and turning away from her.

"I will explain everything, and you will understand why I needed to keep you here… for your safety Anna."

He didn't turn around, walking out of the house and leaving Jamie once again in a state of confusion. Her head started to spin, her knees became weak, and she sunk down onto the step. Putting her head in her hands. Nothing made sense.


	15. Falling Lies

The door seemed to slam on all logic. Jamie's head spun as she tried to get a grasp on what Tom had been trying to tell her. What was tonight? And why did she feel like nothing good would come of it? Her knees gave out and she sank down on to the stair she was standing on, a small cloud of dust. A tear rolled out the corner of her eye. Then another… Jamie didn't know how long she sat there, in the quiet, tears rolling silently down her cheeks. She missed her friends… family… and was beginning to wonder if she would ever see them again. Fear spiked in her chest as she thought about the possibility of being stuck in this house for the rest of her life, with no one but Tom… she tried to keep her panic from rising as the scene played out in her head, but the though was enough to leave her sobbing.

The tears had to since dried on her cheeks, and Jamie was left with an empty feeling in her gut, accepting that as long at Tom wanted, she would be stuck in this lonely, desolate house. She rose to her feet, turning up the stairs and slowly making her way to the top. She had made it nearly half way to the top when she heard a rattling sound coming behind her. She swirled around, seeing the doorknob shaking violently, and the door seemingly being pushed from the outside. Jamie knew it couldn't be Tom… he had just waltzed in whenever he felt like it. She felt fear and hope rise up as she gazed at the vibrating entrance… maybe someone had figured out that Tom was keeping her here…

A loud bang issued from the door as it was blown off its hinges, flying clean across the room and landing with a thud against the opposite wall, sending a cloud of dust across the room, covering up the doorway and blocking the intruder from Jamie's sight. She squinted, trying to make out the figure in the dust-filled room.

She thought she was hallucinating as the crooked nose and half-moon spectacles of professor Dumbledore emerged from doorway, his wand raised, and his eyes burning.

He extended a hand towards her.

"Come, Jamie." He said in a hard voice, his eyes scanning the house around her. Jamie rushed down the stairs, taking hold of his hand.

"Get me out of here." She said desperately, clinging to the one thing that could possibly pull her out of this twisted nightmare. He put a hand gently around her back, his wand still held out at the ready. He took one last wary look around the house before sweeping her out into the dying meadow. They walked for what seemed like a few minutes, the house growing smaller and smaller behind them. As they climbed the last hill, she saw the oak tree she had grown so fond of. It's branches were still twisted, but had been uprooted, and was laying on it's side. Light rays of sun filtered through the grey sky, touching the trunk with an gentle caress.

"Jamie." She heard Dumbledore say in a stern voice. She pulled her eyes off the dead tree, looking into his serious face.

"I want you to picture the hospital wing in Hogwarts, the bed you were lying in, the smell of the place.. the—" as Jamie began to picture it, she felt the dream- world fall from around her, she was suspended for a moment in blackness, and then..

The hospital wing rushed up around her, Jamie sat up taking in deep breaths of air. She felt as though she had emerged from a long dive in water, her lungs burning as she desperately sucked in the clean air. She took in her surroundings, seeing that she was in the same bed as before, but the curtains surrounding the bed had been closed for privacy. Dumbledore was leaning over her, looking her over with concerned eyes. She opened her mouth, and closed it, her mind swirling with so many questions. Dumbledore gently took her hand, his gaze softening.

"You're safe Jamie" He said quietly.

She nodded, her body relaxing slightly.

"How long was I out?" She croaked, her voice sounding tired, and unused.

The hardness appeared once again in his eyes.

"Three weeks.." he said.

Three weeks… what had happened? Had Tom done something horrible out here?

"Wait!" She said, sitting up.  
>"Tom… he said something was going to happen…" Dumbledore held up a hand, stopping her mouth from running off.<p>

"It's alright Jamie. Everyone's safe. Tom won't be coming back for you." He said in a soothing voice.

Jamie hesitated, feeling the fear creep back up into her chest.

"Who is she?" She said in a hushed voice. She saw shock flash in his eyes, to be replaced with a reserve that she could not see past… he was holding something from her.

"I think… for the moment, it would be best if you did not dwell on what… Tom said to you in there… he was a very confused boy."

Jamie raised her eyebrows, opening up her mouth to protest, but the look in Dumbledore's eyes said that this was not up for negotiation. She leaned back against her pillows, nodding her head.

Dumbledore gave her a small smile, patting her arm before rising out of the chair he was sitting in. He pulled open the curtain, revealing the anxious faces of her parents talking to Madame Pomfrey. They stopped when they saw Dumbledore coming towards them. He began talking to them, and concerned looks formed on their faces. Dumbledore turned his head around to look at her for a moment, and then led her parents out of her line of vision. Jamie didn't have time to dwell on the fact, Madame Pomfry had taken notice of her, and was busy fussing about her.

It was clear to Jamie that Dumbledore was keeping something from her… about this Anna, what she did not know… but she was determined to find out.


	16. When

As the other Basilisk victims were released from the hospital wing, the general assumption of other students was that Jamie had seen the Basilisk that day in the corridor. She did nothing to correct them, and went out of her way to avoid questions about the experience. She could tell that Fred and George didn't buy them ruse, given that they had been in the hall that day, but they didn't bring it up much to Jamie's relief. Though she caught their awkward glances at meal times, and in the hall. Jamie struggled with the last days of classes, feeling on edge as she tried not to think of her time in the dream, or the fact that the attacks at Hogwarts, including the one on her sister, had been by a boy named Tom. The only person she wanted to talk to about the dream; was the one person she couldn't seem to track down- Professor Dumbledore. She wasn't sure if he was avoiding her, or just busy with other things, but it frustrated Jamie as the days went by.

Jamie began to pack up her trunk; the Hogwarts express was due to arrive in a couple hours. She threw things haphazardly into the trunk, pulling clothes off her surrounding furniture. As she shut the tarnished brass locks, she heard a small thump. She frowned, pulling the trunk away from the end of her bed, and saw a small book lying there; the book that Lucius had gifted to her at the beginning of the year- she had completely forgotten about it. She picked it up, turning it over in her hands and leafing through it. She looked at her trunk, hesitating for a moment and then frowning to herself; opened the locks and stuffed the book as deeply as she could into the mess.

The sounds of the platform were familiar, although unlike last year, Jamie did not feel welcomed by them. They made her feel distant from others as she gazed out of the train window as they pulled up to the London platform. Her experience with Tom was still fresh in her mind, and being surrounded by so many strangers made her feel… wary. The train came to a stop, and the hustle of the platform transferred inside as student began to unload. Jamie followed them on autopilot, her mind preoccupied on Tom. As she stepped off the train, her eyes met a pair of grey ones across the platform- Lucius. And in a rush, the word he had spoken in book shop came back to her.

"you do remind me of someone though."

Jamie felt the hair on her arms stand up and her scalp prickle. She hesitated for a moment, looking around to find her parents- her presence had not been missed yet. She took the opportunity, and strode towards Lucius, who was now standing with Draco, and a woman she assumed to be his mother. The gaze of the other two came to rest on her as she approached, and she saw the corner of Lucius' mouth prick upwards in what seemed to be a smug grin.

" Young Miss Weasly. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Lucius said in a smooth voice. Jamie squirmed, suddenly feeling unsure as to why she came over to him, not even sure that he could help her. After a moment of uneasiness she still looking him hard in the eye.

"Can we speak in private for a moment?" Although it was a question, Jamie had spoken it more like a demand. The woman beside Lucius stiffened, and Jamie's eyes flicked to her, she saw the remnants of some troubling emotion flit across her face before they were concealed behind a mask of cold civility. A look was exchanged between the two adults, and then they stepped towards the entrance to 9 ¾.

"What can I help you with Jamie?"

The question snapped Jamie's attention back to Lucius, she saw amusement dance in his cold eyes.

"I…" Jamie hesitated, trying to find the right words.

"You said that I reminded you of someone… that day in the bookshop."

He considered her for a moment, and then nodded.

"Yes, you remind me of someone I use to know… quite a while ago."

"Who?" Jamie said, getting straight to her question.

Lucius chuckled, running his hand over the top of his walking stick handle.

"That… is a complicated story Jamie, one that I cannot tell you in a mere moment. Besides, your parents are looking for you." He said, nodding his head in their direction. Jamie snapped her head towards the group of Weaslys, noticing them looking around for her, it would only be a few moments before they saw her with Lucius. She felt something press into her hand, and turned back to Lucius.

"Have a pleasant summer Jamie." He said, giving her a nod, and moving off towards his family. Jamie gazed after him for a moment and then, stuffing her hand in her pocket to hide whatever he had given her and briskly made her way towards the weaslys. Her mother gave a cry upon seeing her, and squeezed her into a big hug, scolding her as to wandering off, to which she easily told her mother she had been talking to a friend.

The group of them loaded into the car her father had borrowed from the ministry, and the conversation remained lively, letting Jamie's silence go unnoticed. When they got to the burrow, Jamie made her way up to her room as quickly as she could without being conspicuous. After shutting the door, she sat down on her bed, and pulled out the object Lucius had put in her hand. It was a vial of floo powder, and wrapped around it a note:

I am sorry our time was cut short today. I hope you will accept my invitation to come and discuss the matter further.

Lucius

Underneath the note was an address.

Jamie twirled the vial in her hands, and then grasped it in her fist. She wanted answers, and Lucius might have something that could help her. She was determined to see him this summer, only one question remained-

When?


End file.
